just me and my stuff

July 29, 2004

The best thing since low carb beer

This is probably going to be my last post from Miami. Tomorrow night I'm going out for dinner, and then, hooray, I shall be on a plane on Friday. I spent a happy hour this evening doing one of the things I enjoy best - browsing round a book store. This one was particularly enjoyable due to the American-ness. The many gems I found included:

Bush in a Box (a small model of Dubya with sticky speech bubbles with all the best bits on)

Of course, the one highlight I was looking for, the 9/11 report (only $10) was sold out (although they did have plenty of My Life, by Bill Clinton). I had hoped to occupy my flight time on Friday with said report, but unless I can get it at the airport that is not to be. Instead I ended up with two Tom Clancy books. I thought it was time I started my own collection and stopped having to travel home to my parents just to borrow my Dads. That's the problem with having parents who have generally the same taste in books as me - until I moved out I didn't really have to buy them, I just went up into the attic and got some more down. Now, of course, it's my attic that's full. Which reminds me - has anyone got my Northern Lights? (Known as the Golden Compass over here - presumably because Americans don't know what the northern lights are?)

I started thinking this evening, driving home, about things that I'll miss. I started this train of thought because the radio station started playing Led Zeppelin's Whole Lotta Love, and I realised that I didn't miss top of the pops, but while I've really missed decent radio all the time I've been out here, Big Classic Rock is something I'll miss. Not the DJs (the only way I'd miss them is if they ran really fast away from my spud gun) but the variety of music you don't hear on British radio. Obscure (and not so obscure) Stones tracks, Led Zeppellin, Van Halen (but apparantly not Jump), Rush, etc etc etc. So here goes. My top 5 thing I will miss:

Sunshine, warm seas, sandy beaches

An office full of Spanish speakers (hola!)

Being busy at work

Miraculous hotel laundry

Outback Jack and Sex and the City

And not miss:

Having to spell my name at leasts twice and still having to put up with being called (on one memorable occasion all in one conversation) Kathy, Kristy and Krystal.

Not being able to cross a road on foot

Restaurant food

Beer that has no noticeable alcohol content in it

Adverts for low carb food stuffs, carb replacement pills, and general medication. Actually, scrub that. All adverts without a sense of humour.

So there we go. In a way, the seven weeks have flown by. It seems both no time and all the time since I went away. I don't regret it - I can even see myself coming back - but I do need to go home now. My time is up, please come in number 27.